Each time a workforce has a successful share of .217 with 13 video games remaining within the season, it may be onerous to suppose glad ideas. Let’s be sincere, Peter Pan would have a tough time flying if he was a San Antonio Spurs fan this yr. Fortunately, Spurs followers have been in a position to dangle their hats on the very fact Victor Wembanyama has been all the pieces scouts and analysts stated he’d be. However he isn’t the one purpose Spurs followers ought to be enthusiastic about going ahead.
There’s the very fact the Spurs have a really actual likelihood to finish up with two top-10 picks on this upcoming draft, no matter how the highest of the category is seen concerning star potential. That’d give them two picks the place they may come away with a degree guard (the place most would say the Spurs want most) and/or one other high quality large (the place the Spurs realistically want probably the most).
Nevertheless, what followers ought to actually be enthusiastic about is that the Spurs have already got a core 4 to pair with Wembanyama that has statistically been among the finest lineups within the league. It could sound ridiculous having watched the workforce lose time and time once more, however belief me, there’s a 5 man unit presently on the roster that the workforce can construct round.
Should you’re questioning who these 4 gamers are, they’re Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson. This shouldn’t be too shocking, given these are the Spurs’ subsequent 4 most gifted gamers. Nonetheless, with a report of 15-54, you wouldn’t count on to listen to any argument for the workforce having a lot past Wemby to construct round. However while you break it down, the numbers say in any other case.
Earlier than moving into what they’ve finished on the court docket, let’s speak about how younger this lineup is. At first of subsequent season, they’ll be a mean age of twenty-two.8 with Keldon being the outdated head at 25. For reference, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s most used lineup (Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren) will enter subsequent yr with a mean of 23.6 years outdated. That 22.8 age would additionally occur to be youthful than the workforce’s general common this yr — once they’re by far the youngest workforce within the league.
Age is one factor, but it surely’s how that five-man lineup has produced this season that makes for the optimistic outlook.
Of the 60 most used lineups (130 minutes performed), this unit ranks 18th in +/-, having outscored opponents by a complete of 60 factors. On a per-minute foundation, they rank second. That begs the query, “Why is that this 5 the 58th most used lineup?” Particularly when the Spurs beginning lineup with Julian Champagnie instead of Keldon is part of the 60 most used lineups, rating thirty first in +/- (25 factors) and thirty third per minute.
There’s multiple possible reply to that query. Beginning with the dearth of high quality depth. In hopes to raise the standard of bench models, Keldon was shifted to a sixth-man position. Besides even with Keldon being a bench piece, these bench models saved getting torched by opponents and that features when Coach Gregg Popovich performed Vassell with Keldon and reserves. There are 10 lineups Pop has performed since Keldon grew to become a reserve with a 5 of Keldon, Vassell, and three bench guys. These 10 lineups have performed a complete of 108 minutes (a mere 25 minutes lower than the lineup from above has performed all yr). In these 108 minutes, the Spurs have been outscored by 54 factors. Essentially the most used one is when the three bench items are Cedi Osman, Zach Collins, and Blake Wesley, who’ve performed 33 minutes over 12 video games. In these 33 minutes, the Spurs have been outscored by 19.
One other possible reply to the core 5 not taking part in extra is the very fact this season was about discovery. First, the Spurs needed to uncover simply what Wemby was going to be when he stepped on an NBA court docket. No person can sit right here and say they definitively knew Wemby would instantly play as much as expectations. There was a professional likelihood that he regarded outmatched given his age, body, and former expertise. All of that rapidly went out the window and after 20 video games, the Spurs realized it was time to play Wemby at heart. After that, this yr has been about all people surrounding Wemby. The purpose-Sochan experiment has been talked about sufficient that I don’t must get into that right here. Moreover Sochan, the workforce was studying how a lot of a load Vassell might carry offensively, the place Keldon matches within the scheme of issues, and what to make of Champagnie, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and the opposite younger guys.
If you put all of it collectively, the season grew to become much less about successful video games (though they undoubtedly wish to win) and extra about throwing issues towards the wall and seeing what sticks. Within the coming years, the Spurs could have discovered how one can survive the non-Wemby minutes the identical manner the Denver Nuggets discovered how one can survive when Nikola Jokić goes to the bench. However one factor is for certain, the Spurs have 5 gamers that match collectively stylistically, align on the timeline, and most significantly, are producing on the court docket collectively.
